The courses will not require any up-front costs.

Filmmaker Claire Gregowicz had been wondering how to digitally market her new documentary when the answer popped into her inbox a week later.

An email detailed a first-of-its kind program at UC San Diego Extension, which partnered with the San Diego Workforce Partnership to offer online tech-centered courses — at no up-front cost.

It caught Gregowicz’s attention.

“That was what really stood out about it,” she said. “I didn’t have to save up-front to start it, because that would have delayed the process.”

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Gregowicz and more than 50 other adults began taking online classes this summer. They are enrolled in the program under a contract called the Workforce Income Share Agreement (ISA).

Under its terms, students do not pay until they find jobs that allow them to reimburse the program with a percentage of their salary. The payments made by the graduates provide funding for the rest of the incoming class, said Josh Shapiro, the program’s creator. If the students do not find jobs, they are not required to pay anything back.

“A loan is an obligation that needs to be paid back, regardless of circumstance,” said Shapiro, who serves at Assistant Dean of Innovation and Research Affairs at UC San Diego Extension. “And ISA kinds of flips this model.”

Shapiro explained that there was a need to expand tech learning to a wider community.

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“Technology affects all sectors, all demographics,” he said. “So to be able to bring underrepresented individuals into tech and have that voice is incredibly important. It’s an industry that is really able to provide income mobility.”

Hundreds of candidates applied for what Shapiro deemed a pilot program. Courtney McGowan, a senior project manager, joined after much research and deliberation. The chance to help the next cohort was a bonus, he said.

“The university and the county are investing in my development,” he said. “There’s the added benefit that I’m investing back into the community. That’s provided a lot of incentive to me.”

Shapiro hopes that the program will enable students to focus on getting “a foot in the door” of their industries, rather than worrying about paying back debt.

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Philanthropic funds are processed through the ISA to keep the program going, but Shapiro hopes it will eventually become self-sustaining through its payback funds.